The same technology that powers full-body scanners in airport security checkpoints could one day untether virtual reality headsets.

MIT announced on Monday that its researchers have devised a way to wirelessly connect VR headsets to the PCs that power them using using millimeter wave transmissions. In addition to powering Nude-o-Scopes (the affectionate name frequent flyers have bestowed on the TSA's scanners) these high-frequency radio waves also show promise for detecting cancer and delivering fast Internet.

MIT says its VR prototype uses the millimeter waves to enable untethered communication at a rate of multiple Gbps, or billions of bits per second. They were able to successfully run it on an HTC Vive, but the technique should work on any high-end VR headset, including the Oculus Rift.

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"The ability to use a cordless headset really deepens the immersive experience of virtual reality and opens up a range of other applications," MIT professor Dina Katabi said in a statement. While millimeter wave transmissions can replace the cord between the headset and computer, they still rely on a separate device that must be plugged into the headset.

That device, which MIT calls MoVR, contains an array of two directional antennas about half the size of a credit card. They focus the millimeter waves so that there's always a line of sight between the headset and a separate receiver connected to the PC. If it's ever put into production, the researchers say the MoVR equipment could be smaller, perhaps smartphone-sized.

But Intel, Qualcomm, Oculus, and other are already working on standalone VR headsets that offer the same power as today's generation without requiring a PC at all. So although the MIT research is innovative, it might be obsolete before it is ever produced.

About the Author

As a hardware analyst, Tom tests and reviews laptops, peripherals, and much more at PC Labs in New York City. He previously covered the consumer tech beat as a news reporter for PCMag in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, where he rode in several self-driving cars and witnessed the rise and fall of many startups. Before that, he worked for PCMag's s... See Full Bio

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